Students and CUNY

As part of the CUNY community, the Institute realizes that its most important mission is educational. But education should not be construed as a purely classroom-based, or even as an exclusively academic experience. We aim to promote student learning by hosting educational seminars, creating curricula for environmentally focused courses, providing access to field equipment, assisting students in finding outside internships and facilitating the work of student groups. We seek to engage students at all levels and harness the energy and idealism of the student body. Before students leave CUNY, we aim to imbue them with the knowledge, tools, and passion for the urban environment that will lead them to be lifelong learners and engaged citizens in whatever careers or endeavors they pursue.

Featured Student Organization

The Hunter Solar Project is a student-organized initiative with a dedicated and diverse membership, reflecting the unique student body of Hunter College and the City University of New York as a whole. Students organizing the project come from a variety of academic programs including Environmental Studies, Economics, Physics and Chemistry.

The purpose of the Hunter College Solar Project is to expand Hunter’s use of sustainable energy sources by installing a solar energy system on campus for power generation, education and research. The Hunter Solar Project seeks to aid Hunter College in participating in Mayor Bloomberg’s PLANYC, under which all CUNY schools are encouraged to reduce their carbon footprint by 30% by the year 2017. The installation of a solar energy system on Hunter College will offset a portion of the school’s non-renewable energy demand and consumption, and therefore reduce Hunter’s greenhouse gas emissions. Additionally, installing a solar energy system on Hunter College will create cutting-edge research and educational opportunities for Hunter students and faculty in physics, environmental science, economics and the rapidly advancing field of renewable energy.

CISC helps to facilitate the work of this student initiative by providing them work space, help and feedback on project proposals, and general consultations and networking opportunities. We are excited about the work that these students do, to change their campus, their communities, their city, and the world.